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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.08.31.271783

A Subtype of Adult-Born Neuron in Male Zebra Finch HVC Expresses DARPP-32 and Does Not Project to RA as part of the Vocal Motor Pathway

Aronowitz, J. V.·Moon, H. K.·Kirn, J. R.·Pytte, C. L.·Aaron, G. B.
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Abstract

Adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) continually incorporate adult-born neurons into HVC, a telencephalic brain region necessary for the production of learned song. These neurons express immediate early genes during song production, suggesting a role for neurogenesis in song production throughout the lifespan. Half of these adult-born HVC neurons (HVC NNs) can be backfilled from the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) and are a part of the vocal motor pathway underlying learned song production, but the other half do not backfill from RA, and they remain to be characterized. Here we used cell birth-dating, retrograde tract tracing, and immunofluorescence to demonstrate that half of all HVC NNs express thephosphoprotein DARPP-32, a protein associated with dopamine (DA) receptor expression. We also demonstrate that DARPP-32+ HVC NNs are contacted by tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers suggesting that they receive catecholaminergic input, have transiently larger nuclei than DARPP-32- HVC NNs, and do not backfill from RA. Taken together, these findings help characterize a group of HVC NNs that have no apparent projections to RA and so far have eluded any positive identification other than HVC NN status.

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Aronowitz, J. V., Moon, H. K., Kirn, J. R., Pytte, C. L., Aaron, G. B.. 2020-08-31. A Subtype of Adult-Born Neuron in Male Zebra Finch HVC Expresses DARPP-32 and Does Not Project to RA as part of the Vocal Motor Pathway. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.31.271783

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